Crime rate in the capital well above national average says HMICS report

Edinburgh has the highest crime rate and lowest detection rate in Scotland according to a watchdog.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland said in a new report that there were 738.2 crimes per 10,000 of the population in 2014/15.

The national average is 481.2.

And while Glasgow and Aberdeen have seen reductions in crime over the past three years, crime in the capital has increased.

Detection rates are the lowest in Scotland – at 35.4 per cent. This compares to a national average of 50.4 per cent in 2014-15.

Sexual offences increased by 21.1 per cent whereas the national increase was 9.8 per cent. Housebreaking rose by 20.8 per cent.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Derek Penman said: “We have taken the view that many of the issues affecting Edinburgh Division have arisen because of the specific challenges that come with being the capital city.

“The single force has provided greater access to specialist support and has provided additional officers to assist in meeting these challenges.

“However I believe there is now a need for Police Scotland to review the balance between local policing and specialist resources to ensure there are sufficient officers within response and community policing roles across the division.

“The positive trends across Scotland of reducing crime levels and improved detection rates are not mirrored in Edinburgh. However these challenges around performance existed before the creation of Police Scotland; and the reasons for them are complex and examined in our report.”

Chief superintendent Mark Williams, local policing commander for Edinburgh, said: “We’ve already made real advances to address issues such as housebreaking and, since our specific operation to tackle the issue launched early in 2015, we have halved the number of break-ins per month and doubled our detection rates.

“We have also seen a reduction in violent crime of over 18 per cent against the five-year average with robberies alone down over 28 per cent.

“As (this) report shows, the demand for resources in Edinburgh is unique but we will always seek to respond as effectively as we can, calling upon all the resources available to us at both a local and national level.”